When Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán Loera was arrested this weekend, he left behind twin daughters with matching pink suitcases and a wife who, like the wives of many crime bosses who came before her, was once a Mexican beauty queen in the Sinaloa. » 2/26/14 7:00pm 2/26/14 7:00pm

In the clip above, 2013 Miss Venezuela First Runner-Up Wi May Nava describes the plastic surgery she underwent to compete in pageants (boob and nose jobs). She also talks about the piece of mesh that she has sewn to her tongue so that she can't eat solid foods (this description, btw, took place before she won her… » 2/06/14 8:55pm 2/06/14 8:55pm

Apparently the National Costume Competition of the Miss Universe Pageant is largely a crash course in cultural stereotypes. While some contestants donned more traditional clothing from their home countries, others created extravagant costumes roughly inspired by their heritage. And Miss USA showcased two of the most… » 11/04/13 2:20pm 11/04/13 2:20pm

Child beauty pageants are fucked up enough without adding a weird racial dimension to them, but if you're going to be terrible, you might as well be all-the-way terrible, right? The Little Miss Hispanic Delaware pageant — which exists because apparently the world doesn't mess with little girls' brains enough as-is —… » 10/23/13 2:40pm 10/23/13 2:40pm

Question: "A recent report shows that in 40 percent of American families with children, women are the primary earners, yet they continue to earn less than men. What does this say about society?" » 6/17/13 8:51am 6/17/13 8:51am

NSA spies are just like us: they like to judge pretty girls in tiaras. » 6/13/13 6:15pm 6/13/13 6:15pm

When the Miss World pageant began in London in 1951, the winner — Sweden's Kiki Haakonson — was crowned in a two-piece swimsuit. But this year, the pageant is being held in Indonesia — world's most populous Islamic country — and bikinis will not be present. » 6/07/13 1:00pm 6/07/13 1:00pm

Olivia Culpo has been crowned Miss Universe; it's the first time in 15 years that a Miss USA has taken home the tiara. Mascara! Everywhere! » 12/20/12 9:30am 12/20/12 9:30am

Among the many important lessons Little Miss Sunshine taught us (Marcel Proust was gay! Family is important! The Air Force won't let you fly planes if you can't tell the difference between red and not-red, and your supercilious, suicidal uncle will tell you this in a condescending, oh-I'm-so… » 12/02/12 2:00pm 12/02/12 2:00pm

Twenty-year-old Maria Susana Flores Gamez was found dead on Saturday night, with an assault rifle near her body. According to the AP: » 11/27/12 12:05pm 11/27/12 12:05pm

In "Nothing Good Ever Came From or Happened At a Beauty Pageant with the Exception of Alana Thompson" news, a Brazilian beauty queen hopeful has allegedly confessed to plotting the murder of her perceived #1 competitor. It's like Drop Dead Gorgeous came to life but super sad because it's real (but also kind-of less sad… » 10/01/12 10:00am 10/01/12 10:00am

The Miss America pageant used to be a great place to see incredibly conventionally attractive women answer questions about world peace and then march around in bathing suits. It's still a great place for that, but it's also a great place to get a peek into a sort of crystal ball of American politics, a showcase for… » 6/26/12 6:45pm 6/26/12 6:45pm

When it was reported earlier in March that a transgender woman named Jenna Talackova would be a finalist in the Miss Universe Canada pageant, it seemed a fine, sunny day for the LGBT community, as Talackova's inclusion in the finals represented at least one step in the direction of wider social acceptance for… » 3/25/12 4:05pm 3/25/12 4:05pm

Last night's Miss America pageant assembled some of the most esoterically talented women in the country on a single stage to dance ballet, sing opera, and try very hard not to blink under the blinding scrutiny of Kris Jenner. Though 52 of them have by this time today already sunk deep into the morass of ignominious… » 1/15/12 5:00pm 1/15/12 5:00pm